Rich kid, 24, scams $2.3 million from would-be Ferrari Monza buyers

Published on Sep 18, 2023 at 7:15 AM (UTC-4)
by Kate Bain

Last updated on Sep 19, 2023 at 6:22 AM (UTC-4)
Edited by Kate Bain

Rich kid, 24, scams $2.3 million from would-be Ferrari Monza buyers
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This 24-year-old pulled off an elaborate scam, fleecing millions of dollars from would-be Ferrari Monza buyers.

Despite being in his early 20s, Daniel Lesin weaseled his way into the lives of some of America’s richest people. 

He successfully cemented himself in the New York supercar scene, telling people he was the son of a billionaire Russian oligarch.

READ MORE! Teen millionaire gets called out online for posing with Ferrari 488 GTB from rental company

He would turn up to supercar meets in New York and New Jersey in a new supercar each time, including a Ferrari F12df, Ferrari 458 Speciale, Lamborghini Murcielago SV, and a Porsche 918. 

Despite his young age, he became a fixture on the scene and became well-known for his car collection and connection to big brands like Ferrari. 

Lesin claimed he and his family owned more than 75 Ferraris and were very special clients of the brand. 

This was where it all started to crumble for the 24-year-old.

When Ferrari announced its limited-edition Monza SP1 and SP2, it reserved allocations for only its most loyal clients. 

Lesin claimed he was given a few allocations for the sought-after Ferrari Monza, and was willing to pass them along to others in exchange for big cash payments, The Drive reported. 

Ferrari famously doesn’t approve of this, so if it happens, it’s done extremely quietly. 

So, in hush-hush deals with Ferrari enthusiasts who were prepared to pay a lot of money, Lesin sold his allocations.

The problem was, Lesin didn’t have any allocations for the Monza at all.

Instead, he created fake documents to support his claims. 

When the authorities got wind of this, it marked the beginning of a huge FBI investigation. 

Lesin was ultimately arrested on June 2, 2022 on allegations of wire fraud. 

Lesin ultimately pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 45 months in prison.

He was also forced to hand over a couple of luxury watches and almost $2.3 million in cash.

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Kate is Head of Editorial at SB Media Group, overseeing all content on the site. She has more than 10 years’ experience as a journalist and news editor, having worked across a range of major publications including News Corp, Daily Mail Australia, and Sky News. Kate holds a Bachelor of Business Management from University of Queensland and a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism from Queensland University of Technology. With 6 years in automotive journalism, she is passionate about discovering the best the industry has to offer and sharing it with readers around the globe. She has been with Supercar Blondie since 2020 and played a key role in establishing supercarblondie.com as a leading automotive news destination.